Fast start helps Kings continue their climb

Feb. 23, 2013

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.

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Jonathan Quick #32 of the Los Angeles Kings makes a save off a shot from Paul Stastny #26 of the Colorado Avalanche as Jake Muzzin #6 of the Los Angeles Kings looks for a rebound during the game against the Colorado Avalanche at Staples Center. HARRY HOW, GETTY IMAGES

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Trevor Lewis #22 of the Los Angeles Kings celebrates his short-handed goal for a 3-1 lead in front of Semyon Varlamov #1 of the Colorado Avalanche during the second period Staples Center. HARRY HOW, GETTY IMAGES

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Semyon Varlamov #1 of the Colorado Avalanche stops Justin Williams #14 of the Los Angeles Kings during the second period at Staples Center. HARRY HOW, GETTY IMAGES

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Colorado Avalanche center Mark Olver, left, and Los Angeles Kings left wing Kyle Clifford falls to the ice during the first period in Los Angeles. The Lakers won 111-107. MARK J. TERRILL, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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Cody McLeod (right) of the Colorado Avalanche attempts to shoot in front of Jarret Stoll (left) and Jonathan Quick of the Kings during a 4-1 Kings win at Staples Center on Saturday. Harry How, Getty Images

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Los Angeles Kings center Jarret Stoll, left, celebrates a goal by center Trevor Lewis, right, during the second period against the Colorado Avalanche in Los Angeles. MARK J. TERRILL, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jonathan Quick #32 of the Los Angeles Kings makes a save off a shot from Paul Stastny #26 of the Colorado Avalanche as Jake Muzzin #6 of the Los Angeles Kings looks for a rebound during the game against the Colorado Avalanche at Staples Center. HARRY HOW, GETTY IMAGES

LOS ANGELES – After a sluggish start to the lockout-delayed season, the Kings appear to be rounding into playoff form.

Dustin Brown and Jeff Carter scored first-period goals, Trevor Lewis added his first career short-handed goal, and the defending Stanley Cup champions beat the Colorado Avalanche, 4-1, on Saturday for their third consecutive victory.

Anze Kopitar also scored and Jonathan Quick made 23 saves for the Kings, who won for the fifth time in six games after beginning the day 11th in the Western Conference and two points behind the postseason cutoff.

Last season, the Kings became the first team to win the Cup as a No. 8 seed and the first to knock off the conference's top three seeds to reach the Finals.

"We're not giving teams too much time and space to make plays, and not giving up too many shots," center Jarret Stoll said. "We still have to clean up some little defensive zone stuff, but we're not giving up too much, and our goaltending's been good."

Milan Hejduk scored a power-play goal for the Avalanche, which had won five in a row against the Kings, and Semyon Varlamov made 22 saves.

Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog, who missed 11 games because of a concussion sustained Jan. 26, returned to action. .

"It was a tough game," said Landeskog, last season's rookie of the year. "L.A. came out hard, and they were strong on the puck, and they made us play in our zone."

The Kings, outscored 18-5 in the first period through their first 15 games, took a 1-0 lead 58 seconds after the opening faceoff. Brown converted a cross-ice pass from Justin Williams for his fifth goal, beating Varlamov to the stick side with a one-timer.

Carter scored his ninth goal and fifth in six games, beating Varlamov low to the stick side with a wrist shot from the slot for a 2-0 lead after Mike Richards found him from the left boards.

NOTES

The Kings began a 16-game stretch in which they will play 13 times at home. They played eight of their previous nine on the road, going 5-4. ... A moment of silence was observed for Jerry Buss, who died Monday at age 80. Buss purchased the Kings, Lakers and the Inglewood Forum from Jack Kent Cooke in 1979, and owned the Kings for nine seasons. ... Kings defenseman Drew Doughty is still looking for his first goal after 16 games, his longest drought from the start of a season.

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